


Jumbled Memories and Song Lyrics

by Elabeth



Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game)
Genre: Civil War event, Confused Bucky, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Making Friends, Memory Loss, Not a romance, Post-Relationship, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 05:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10780911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elabeth/pseuds/Elabeth
Summary: The Asset joins the Avengers Academy, makes some new friends, meets some old friends, remembers some things from his past, and recites some exceptional - but underappreciated - song lyrics.Story follows the Winter Solider's story line from the Civil War Event.





	Jumbled Memories and Song Lyrics

**Author's Note:**

> This fic follows the Winter Soldier story line from the game and as such there are chunks of the dialogue that are line-for-line from the game, but most of this fic is my interpretation of the story line and some scenes are completely new. 
> 
> In terms of warnings for this fic, there's one scene where Bucky gets a flood of memories from his time with Hydra. It's pretty vague and not graphic, mainly relating to the assassinations he did and torture done to him, but if you think you might like to skip that bit, it's where Loki performs a spell on Bucky - it's like one paragraph and then right back to the very kid friendly stuff.

The Asset had been briefed on the mission – participate in the attack on Avengers Academy – but he still didn’t understand what he was doing here. He’d spent the last couple of weeks standing on a platform overlooking the academy and doing nothing. 

He’d actually been ordered to do nothing. 

Nothing. 

He’d stood by and let the prisoners be freed by the academy students. He’d watched as Crossbones and Madame Hydra had both defected to the enemy. 

And what did Red Skull want him to do? Stand here and look intimidating. 

Ugh, just give him a gun already. 

And now Red Skull had disappeared off for days and the Asset was left standing on this freaking platform doing nothing by himself. 

He watched as Red Skull was defeated and ran away for the fifth time. The fifth! Against robots and standard S.H.I.E.L.D. agents! Why was no one else attacking? Why wasn’t he allowed to go down there and actually do something? 

Ugh!

See, that person there, she was Ms. Marvel. She has super powers, and she had just walked right by the battle taking place less than ten metres from her. And don’t get the Asset started on Captain America. He’s read the files, he’s heard what Captain America can do and how much the man hates Red Skull, what’s he been doing? Well, he’s been dancing the Charleston in the club for the last three days! Eight hour blocks of doing a style of dancing that went out of fashion before the man could walk! What the…?! It didn’t even suit the music! The Asset couldn’t hear the music from here, but no one else dancing in the club – and there were _plenty_ of other people dancing in the club – where dancing in a style even approaching the Charleston. 

What was the Assest even doing here?

The Asset crossed his arms and glared at the academy, you know what, he didn’t care if he got punished or put back in cryo he was going to do something. He stalked across the platform and jumped down, landing heavy on his feet. It hurt like crazy, but it was damn intimidating. 

People were going down.

***

The Winter Soldier opened his eyes and blinked up at the sky. He was lying on his back on hard ground. His head hurt. His arm hurt. He didn’t feel well. Had he been in a battle? He thought he remembered fighting someone in blue. There had been stars. Hadn’t there?

He should get up. Maybe that would help with the ringing in his head. 

Pushing himself to his knees, the Winter Soldier slowly got up. His arm hurt, so he clutched at the metal. Weird. His metal arm didn’t normally hurt. 

“Bucky?”

The Winter Soldier looked up, the blurriness of his vision resolving itself into a young man, tall, muscled, blonde. He looked familiar. Was this who he’d been fighting?

The man moved forward his hand outstretched hesitantly. “Do you remember me now, Bucky?”

Yes. Yes! He did remember this man. Steve! His best friend Steve!

“Steve… I haven’t see you for so long…”

Steve’s smile was brilliant. Bucky’s chest ached. Maybe he’d bruised his ribs when he’d hurt his arm. 

“It’s okay, Bucky. We have plenty of time to catch up.”

Bucky smiled. “I think I’d like that. I think I wrote a lot of songs about it…”

“I can’t wait to hear ‘em…” Steve said.

Bucky was pulled into a hug that didn’t hurt his ribs, not even when Steve squeezed tight.

***

The red-head was watching him again. She thought she was being stealthy, and she was, but he was the Winter Soldier.

She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where from. This had been happening a lot lately. Steve thought it was to be expected after what Bucky had been through. Steve was a doofus and what did he know. 

The red-head sneaked another glance. 

Alright, Bucky had two choices here: ask Steve or go over and find out who she is. But Steve was being all butt-hurt over being called a doofus, so option two it was. 

Bucky ducked behind a building while the red-head wasn’t focused on him, and ran around till he was behind her. She was sneaking forward obviously trying to figure out where he’d gone. 

“I wanted to introduce myself…” Bucky said. 

She was good. She didn’t even finch as she straightened up and turned around. “I’ve had five weeks to learn who you are,” she told him.

They stared at each other in silence. The moment stretched out awkwardly. Something about her face was triggering a memory. “I wrote a song for you…” Bucky remembered. 

“That’s weird…”

Oh, now she looks unimpressed. Maybe if she heard it. Bucky could hear the tune in his head. It was a really good song. “Do you want to hear it?”

“I’m busy…”

“I can wait. We’ve got all the time in the world…” Bucky smiled at her. He was trying out this smiling thing more. It hurt his face, but it seemed to make Steve really happy when he did it. It wasn’t working on the red-head; she took a large step back. 

And another. 

And one more. 

She was now level with the end of the building. She stepped sideways behind it. 

And he still didn’t know her name.

***

Bucky sat in Nick Fury’s office feeling like a small child caught stealing. Director Fury’s eye was focused on Bucky but he wasn’t saying anything.

Bucky recognised this interrogation technique from his time with Hydra; don’t say anything and let things get so awkward that the victim just starts talking to fill the silence. 

It wasn’t going to work on Bucky. He liked the silence, it gave him time to write songs in his head. If Director Fury thought Bucky was going to crack, then he’d be waiting a really long time. Not that Bucky knew what Fury even wanted. Maybe he wanted to hear one of Bucky’s songs? Bucky opened his mouth to ask.

Fury cut him off and spoke first. “Cap vouches for you, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for our country, but I’m letting you know that if you snap back into Hydra mode it will not end well…” 

Okay. Bucky already knew this. Did Fury still want to hear one of Bucky’s songs? “The future is a shadowy thing, and the present is just more shadows we aren’t allowed to open.” 

“That’s deep.” Fury’s tone was flat but he wasn’t looking Bucky in the eye anymore, so that meant he was moved, and trying to hide his emotions. He didn’t seem the sort to cry in front of people – it’s probably a good thing Bucky didn’t have his guitar with him, if he’d sung the lines Fury might have actually cried and then killed Bucky for seeing his moment of weakness. 

“Thanks.” Bucky smiled, trying to reassure Fury that it was okay to show emotions. “It’s the opening to my new song.”

“I was being sarcastic.” Fury snapped. “Go train at the Blasting Range.”

Oh. 

Wait, what?

***

Bucky wasn’t going to ever tell Steve but it felt good to have a gun in his hands again. There was something really calming about holding a rifle in his hands. He could slow down, focus on his breathing, and clear his head.

Pew, pew, pew.

He did miss his old rifle though. The one he had during the war. It hadn’t been as good – heavier, needed reloading more often, pulled a little to the left (which he’d been able to compensate for) – but when he’d squeezed the trigger it had made a satisfying bang. 

Pew, pew, pew.

This new weapon was good, but it was an energy weapon and made happy little laser noises when he fired. It was light-weight, had a massive power pack in it that could last a whole mission, and fired straight and true each time. 

It was a good weapon. 

Bucky still missed his old sniper rifle. 

“What are you doing?” Steve asked from behind him. Bucky had heard the man walk up about twenty minutes ago.

“Practicing.” 

“Isn’t this a little easy for you?”

Bucky looked at the target only a few metres in front of him. “Yes.”

Pew, pew, pew.

Black scorch marks appeared on the target as it was pushed back. Steve didn’t say anything. 

Pew, pew, pew.

“I thought about climbing that building over there,” Bucky said. He jerked his head towards a tall tower about five hundred metres away. “But I figured Fury wouldn’t like that.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ?” Steve asked. “Nah, Natasha’s climbed that building in the past and she barely got in any trouble. Come on, I’ll go with you and if Fury gets mad he can yell at me.”

Bucky looked at Steve for long moment. “Okay.” 

Steve’s smile seemed to take over his entire face.

***

The woman with a kind face had introduced herself as Pepper Potts. It was a weird name. Bucky kept this to himself.

She said she did administrations for the academy and she wanted to make sure they had the details on his enrolment forms right. 

“We’re so happy to have you at Avengers Academy!” She said. She sounded sincere which made Bucky like her. “Should I call you Bucky or Winter Soldier?”

Hydra had never asked what name he preferred. They’d always just called him Winter Soldier or ‘The Asset’. Bucky hated being called the Asset, but he kind of liked Winter Soldier, but he liked it when people called him Bucky.

“Winter Soldier is my stage name now,” he decided.

“Great, well let me know if I can do anything to help you transition any easier.” She smiled at him and tucked a strand of her hair behind an ear. That’s something people do when they are flirting with you, they play with their hair. Bucky remembered reading this in a training manual, it was under how to seduce your mission. 

He didn’t want Pepper to get the wrong idea, he didn’t want to kill her. Wait… No. Well, yes, but he also didn’t want to flirt with her. 

“I like your hair,” he said, “But I’m in love with Black Widow.” Was that right? Was he in love with her? Or had he just been in love with her once? His memories weren’t clear. He knew he liked her a lot.

Pepper was looking at him with narrowed and confused eyes. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Good luck with that…”

Oh.

Did he just read the situation wrong again?

***

Bucky was sitting on the seats outside the dorm, a wet stone in front of him. His blade sliding across the surface as he sharpened it. The soft schwhip noise was calming and rhythmic. Bucky was humming softly, trying to compose a new song for the lyrics he’d come up with the night before.

A woman in a bright yellow and black leather jacket plonked down into the seat next to him. He remembered being told her name was Janet.

“Winter Soldier!” she said, her voice bright and cheerful. “I totally love your eyeliner!”

Bucky blinked. “It’s not eyeliner. It’s natural.” It wasn’t, but he’s been waiting to try making a joke for a while now and this seemed like a good opportunity. 

Janet stared at him blankly. 

He stared back. 

“Let’s dance so it’s not awkward!” Janet said, clapping her hands together and perking right up. 

“What?” Bucky asked as Janet’s slim hand wrapped around his elbow.

“Come on, Club A is the bomb!” Janet bounced a little as she walked, dragging Bucky in the direction of the campus bar. 

Bucky allowed himself to be pulled along and pushed onto the outdoor dance floor. He nodded to Sam who was getting his grove on in one corner. 

“Do you know how to dance?” Janet asked already moving to the music in the middle of the dancefloor. 

Rather than answer Bucky just pulled the lady into his arms and spun her before dipping her. He remembered some pretty good moves from when he visited dance halls in the forties. 

“Whee!” Janet’s smile was huge on her face. “This is going to be so awesome!”

“Are you friends with Black Widow?” Bucky asked over the music a couple of songs later. 

Janet gave him a look he would describe as smug. “I’m friends with everyone!”

“Do you think she likes me?”

Janet’s smile went megawatt. “You totally like Black Widow!”

Bucky shrugged. “My memory isn’t that good, but I feel like I know her…”

He had to take a step back as Janet started bouncing up and down in excitement. “I know! She’s so mysterious!” 

Bucky didn’t know what to say to that so he nodded and kept dancing.

***

The sky looked bright blue through the leaves of the tree and the grass smelled fresh and sweet as Bucky lay on it. It was a rare peaceful moment, laying in the grass on a sunny day. Steve next to him, not making much sound as he read from one of the thick blue textbooks everyone seemed to have large stacks of.

“Did we used to do this?” Bucky asked. 

“Huh?” Steve looked up from his book. “Do what?”

“Sit around outside doing not very much.” 

“Occasionally, normally I was too busy getting into fights with bullies.” Steve shrugged. 

Bucky smiled as the memory came to him. “You were tiny, but you insisted on standing up to people twice your side. I was forever bailing you out of trouble.”

“Yeah,” Steve’s smile seemed wistful, even though Bucky could also remember that Steve used to bruise like a peach and he’d had more than one split lip from those fights. “We also used to play games in the streets with the neighbourhood kids.”

“Mmm…?” Bucky hummed. His memories of that weren’t so clear. 

“You wanna hang out like old times?” Steve asked. “I thought we might play some baseball or football…” He trailed off, seeming unsure.

“Football is better,” Bucky said to keep the conversation going. “More pain.” He thinks that might be the Winter Soldier talking, but maybe he liked the rougher sports back in the forties too. 

“Perfect! We’ll play catch.” Steve moved as if to stand.

“I should probably play by myself first,” Bucky said, stopping Steve. “Just to make sure it doesn’t trigger some hidden brain thing that makes me want to tear your head off…”

“Oh, okay.” Steve sounded a little crestfallen. “We can set up something in quad.”

***

It had actually been pretty fun catching footballs shot from a machine in the quad. Janet had stopped by and sat on one of the benches and cheered him on for a while, whooping when he’d made some pretty impressive catches.

Bucky had also spied Black Widow watching him from behind Avenger’s Hall. He’d taken an unnecessarily long leap to catch a ball and did a tumble roll back up onto his feet. She’d scoffed and rolled her eyes at him showing off but Bucky had also seen her slight smile as she’d turned away. 

When there was sweat dripping from his skin he decided he probably wasn’t going to be triggered by throwing and catching the ball. He wandered over to the benches and flopped front first onto one, reaching underneath for where he’d left his water bottle. 

“Did that remind you of the good old days?” Steve asked sitting down next to his head. 

“It reminded me that I’m nothing but a weapon built for destruction,” Bucky deadpanned. 

Steve’s face fell. “You’re a good person, Bucky.”

Aw jeez, couldn’t Steve recognise a joke when he heard one. Maybe Bucky should try again, something more obvious this time. “And a good singer?” Bucky had sung Steve a few songs already, and Steve had tried really hard to appear impressed, but Steve was clearly tone deaf and didn’t appreciate Bucky’s musical talent. 

“You’re really a very good person, Bucky,” Steve said earnestly.

Right, it’s on now. Bucky reached up with his metal arm and pushed Steve off the bench.

***

Bucky didn’t know what to make of Loki. Mainly because of the gold horns on his head piece. What where they for? They made him look like some kind of goat. Based on what he’d heard about the man – or god, though Bucky wasn’t sure about that – maybe they were meant to be devil horns… But why?

The man-god had just walked up to Bucky and stopped in front of him. 

“Hello, Snowy Warrior.”

Bucky stared blankly at Loki. “Is that my name?” Bucky asked. He seemed to have so many: James, James Buchannan Barnes, Bucky, Barnes, Sargent Barnes, Winter Soldier, Asset… Was this another one? It would be so much better if his memory would just work properly.

“Oh, is that not your name?” Loki asked dismissively, putting on a show of not caring. “I have difficulties remembering things about boring people…”

So was it or wasn’t it one of Bucky’s names? “Seriously though, is that my name? I can’t remember…” Bucky would just really appreciate it if he could get a straight answer.

Loki stared at him in disbelief. “What happened to you?”

Bucky tried to remember that too. “I don’t know. But I think it’s time I find out…”

“I’ve decided to help you, Snowy Warrior,” Loki offered. “Your takes of forgetful despair have touched my immortal soul…”

Bucky wasn’t sure that was a good idea, he’d not heard good things about Loki – but how much worse could Loki make things?

“You wanna hear one of the songs I wrote about it?” Bucky asked.

Loki smiled as though highly amused. “Of cause not.”

“Okay.” Bucky nodded, “How can you help?”

“I know a spell which would open up your memories, allow you to see them clearly.” Loki’s hand was already glowing, wrapped in green magic as it moved towards Bucky’s head. 

He thought about dodging away, but what if it worked. Bucky closed his eyes and let the magic wash over him. 

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe through the pain. Then there were faces, all dead. Some he could see through the scope of his rifle, others he lent over with a knife, still more with bullet holes that he’d put there. Smoke, bombs, explosions, he could hear screaming, he wasn’t sure if it was his own or someone else’s. A feeling like static. A face of a scientist, short, glasses, Bucky hated that face. Red Skull, looming over him. A back hand across his face. More dead bodies at his feet. A woman screaming, begging, silence. More screaming, definitely his own this time. 

Bucky came back to himself kneeling on the ground in front of Loki, his head clutched in his hands, his breath coming in gasps. 

It was vague still, what he’d remembered. He didn’t get the details, only impressions. But…

“It’s worse than I thought,” he said fighting back tears. “I’ve left a trail of death and destruction everywhere I’ve been. They all hate me…” Steve must hate him for everything he’s done, everyone he’s killed. 

He looked up at Loki and was surprised to see the god’s face was one of sympathy, maybe here was someone who actually understood that. 

Loki shrugged, but didn’t meet Bucky’s eye as he replied, “I wouldn’t know anything about that…”

It was a lie, and an obvious one. Bucky let him have it. 

“I don’t know anything about anything. I don’t even remember being there…” Bucky tried to remember details, names, anything – but all he got was pain and blood. 

“This world is like any other in the Nine Realms,” Loki said squatting down to Bucky’s level and putting his hand on Bucky’s metal shoulder. “You either manipulate, or get manipulated…”

Bucky wondered if that was meant to be comforting. “Maybe I don’t belong in this world…”

Loki looked away again, as if seeing something in the distance. “I’ve often thought the same thing…” he said softly.

They sat together for a long time, staring out across the academy lawns. Bucky’s head kept swirling around, occasionally offering up some name, or a snatch of music, or some other snippet of memory. 

“I’m remembering things…” he said as sun started to dip below the horizon. 

“Yes, I’m not necessarily a mind control expert, but I do know my way around a psyche, and I’ve picked up some tricks from that glorified witch Enchantress.” Loki seemed to be putting back on his mask, his arrogant air was back full force. 

“Thank you,” Bucky said as sincerely as he could manage. “I don’t understand why you’re helping me. Everybody says you’re selfish…”

“I sympathise with your plight, Snowy Warrior. I believe you and I will accomplish great things together…” With that Loki stood and walked away, pulling a staff out of thin air and twirling it around dramatically.

***

After talking to Loki Bucky found that he had more questions than before about what he’d done under Hyrda’s mind control. He knew he’d done a lot of really bad things, but his memory was still patchy and foggy. He could remember faces but not names, sometimes he could remember a date and a place really clearly but he had no idea what he had done there.

Fortunately, there were going to be records of what he’d done… Or maybe that was unfortunately. 

Anyway, the point was that he was going to have to find and read them; and master assassin and guitar god he may be but he knew someone else who was much better at tracking down information than he was. 

That someone was currently flying above the school – in a really cool looking suit – scanning the school, and had been for the last several hours. Bucky knew because he’d been watching her from the dorm balcony since lunch. 

She glanced his way – finally – and Bucky waved at her. She ignored him and kept scanning for several minutes before looking over at him again. Bucky waved his hand in a beckoning motion. 

Black Widow tilted her head as though in contemplation before flying over and landing on the balcony. She leaned back against the railing in a causal pose. 

Right, time to get down to business – and no awkward flirting, she didn’t seem to like that last time. “Everybody says you’re the best at getting intel, so I was hoping you’d help me uncover more about my past…”

She studied him for several long moments. “Sometimes it’s better to forget…” she said softly. 

Bucky wasn’t sure about that, so he shrugged. “I have to get all my memories back before I figure out what I want to forget. Loki tried to help, but I know you’ll show me the truth…”

“Why do you think you can trust me?” she asked. Her eyes were on him, focused and calculating. This felt like a test.

“I just do. Hopefully you’ll help me remember why…” 

“Okay,” she said and took off into the air again. “I’ll see what I can dig up.”

***

That evening Bucky found a stack of files on his bed, some S.H.I.E.L.D., some Hydra, and even a couple KGB.

It took him all night to read them, occasionally having to hold them up to the light to read through the rare blacked out redacted sections, but Bucky was able to piece together most of it. He was surprised to discover Black Widow’s name come up a few times – he knew it was the same woman he knew because she was also referred to as Natasha Romanoff. 

It looks like neither of them had been treated well by their previous employers – if you could even use that word. But Bucky now had a better understanding of why he trusted her so much. 

He also had a better idea of what he’d done while brain washed. His completed missions list read like a who’s-who of important assassinated figures of the twentieth century. 

Bucky felt shaky as the sun peeked over the horizon and he closed the last file, but at least he knew now. 

He opened up his closet and shoved the files into the back.

Leaving his room Bucky started walking. It didn’t take him long to locate Natasha’s room. He picked the lock and let himself in. 

Natasha was in bed, her eyes on him and her hand under the pillow, undoubtedly on a gun. 

Bucky wandered closer and laydown on top of the covers next to someone he was pretty confident he could now call his friend. He stared up at the ceiling, enjoying the quiet comfort of not being alone. They’d done this before, he remembered. 

“I’m sorry about everything that happened to you…” Natasha said softly. 

Bucky looked at her. “I was just about to say the same thing.”

“We’re here now. We have a chance to start over. To make things better…” She smiled at him, and Bucky could see the warmth in her eyes, but also the uncertainty he felt. 

“I write songs about the darkness to deal with things…” Bucky said, opening up and offering his trust. 

“I punch people.” Natasha said, straight-faced and pleasant.

Bucky stared at her slack jawed for a moment before bursting into laughter. Natasha joined him a moment later.

***

Bucky stood in the lobby of S.H.I.E.L.D. H.Q. feeling lost and uncertain. Natasha had said that there were more files he could access about his past in the archives, but he had no idea where to look, nor even where the archives were.

If this was a mission he’d have already studied the blue prints for the building and know every in and out and the fasted way to every part of the building and be able to avoid every security camera in the place. He briefly wondered where he could get his hands on the building’s blueprints. 

They were probably in the archives.

A woman walked through the doors, the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo emblazoned on her chest.

“You’re a S.H.I.E.L.D. Recruit, right?” Bucky called out to her. “Can you show me around the H.Q.? I’m trying to find a way to restore my memories…”

“Sure. My name’s Quake…” She actually waved her hand at him. So cute.

“I’m Bucky,” Bucky introduced himself. “People call me Winter Soldier when I’m singing or trying to assassinate them.”

“Oh, okay.” Quake blinked a couple of times, as if to get her bearings. “I’ll just call you Bucky, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, that would be cool.” Bucky tried smiling. He must be getting better at it because Quake smiled back at him. 

She started walking. “The archives are this way,” she said. 

Bucky followed her into one of the elevators and was surprised when she pushed a level down instead of up. 

“Have you talked to Captain America about your memories? He really helped me deal with some things in my past.” Quake asked. 

“Nobody’s better than Captain America.” Bucky nodded, proud of his friend. 

Quake looked bashful all of a sudden, rubbing at her elbow in a nervous fashion. “I know! I really want to tell him how I feel, but every time I’m around him, I always get too nervous…”

What? Oh! Oh! She has a crush on Stevie! Bucky could totally relate to that! “Every time I’m around him, I either want to hug him or kill him.”

“I only feel that way about Loki…” Quake said. 

Does this mean she has a crush on Loki too?

The elevator pinged open. “The archives are at the end of this hall, it’s clearly labelled.” Quake gestured to the hallway to the right. “Do you need any help, or…”

“No, should be easy from here. Thank you.” Bucky stepped out of the lift and waved goodbye. The elevator doors closed.

***

Bucky wondered why it had taken Stark so long to come up and talk to him. As far as Bucky could tell Stark thought himself a ‘big-man-on-campus’. Still, it might have something to do with all the “#TeamIronMan” and “#TeamCap” posters he’d seen around the academy – Bucky had been teasing Steve about that, he’d hated the Posters back in the war.

“Hey, I’m Tony,” Stark stuck out his hand, not bothering to take off the metal gauntlet. “You’re a friend of Cap’s, right?”

“Sometimes,” Bucky replied honestly. “Sometimes I want to kill him.” He felt it was important to let Stark know that he wasn’t completely back to himself. 

“I know exactly what you mean,” Stark said, surprising Bucky.

“How do you deal with your dark feelings?”

Stark shrugged. “Jokes. Video games. Bubble baths. Inventing ingenious machines. Talking to Wasp and J.A.R.V.I.S. Eating cheese. Blasting things. Pretending like they don’t exist…”

“I’m pretty good at blasting things…” Bucky said, trying to work through the list of things Tony had just said. Cheese? How did that help? Didn’t cheese give you nightmares?

Stark threw his arm around Bucky’s shoulders. “Let’s deal with our feelings, Bucky!” 

Bucky now found himself being pulled off in the direction of the Blasting Range.

***

Several hours later and Bucky felt like he was finally getting a hang of spending time with Tony. The man was loud and over the top, but he was also really cool and caring. It was actually a lot of fun to spend time at the Blasting Range, especially because when Bucky had mentioned missing his old rifle and it’s satisfying bang, Tony had added a couple of modifications to Bucky’s weapon and now it made a cool ‘Whoomph’ that was way cooler than the old ‘Pew Pew’.

“Thanks, Tony. I feel like I can see though the shadows now. Maybe because I’ve become one…”

Tony looked at Bucky like he didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. “Do you naturally just say stuff like that, or do you have to think about it ahead of time?” he asked. 

“I’ve been wanting to ask you the same thing,” Bucky replied. 

“I’m ninety percent ahead of time. It takes a lot of preparation to seem this spontaneous…”

Bucky had no idea that that meant.

***

“How’s everything going so far?” Steve asked, leaning against the doorframe of Bucky’s room.

“Not bad.” Bucky shrugged. “The acoustics are good. People are mostly nice. I haven’t assassinated anyone…”

“That’s great, Bucky. I’m proud of you.” Steve entered the room and sat down on the bed, pulling Bucky sideways into a hug. “You’ll be back to normal in no time.”

“Did you not notice my arm?” Bucky asked, pulling back a little. 

Steve let go and turned to face Bucky. “You’re right. None of us are normal here. But we’re in it together…”

Jeez, what a doofus. “’Til the end of the line…” Bucky said with a smile. 

Steve smiled back. “You should put that in one of your songs…”

***

Bucky was having lunch with Natasha when he felt like he needed to address his earlier behaviour from when he’d first turned up on campus.

“I’m sorry if I was coming on too strong,” he said. “I just can’t help this feeling. Not just that I like you, but that I’m supposed to like you…”

Natasha looked up at him. “Maybe it has something to do with the timefog…” she suggested. 

“Maybe it’s destiny,” Bucky said, unsure if he was joking or not. 

Natasha coughed out a laugh. “Maybe something they did to your brain gave you a special understanding of whatever is going on with the time anomalies…”

“Aw… You just like me for my possible timefog knowledge…” Bucky teased. 

Natasha shrugged. “I don’t like most people at all.” She offered him a smile.

“It’s a start…” Bucky said and leaned across the table to plant a peck on her cheek.


End file.
